Sheet Metal Workers
Fabricate, assemble, install, and repair sheet metal products and equipment, such as ducts, control boxes, drainpipes, and furnace casings. Work may involve any of the following: setting up and operating fabricating machines to cut, bend, and straighten sheet metal; shaping metal over anvils, blocks, or forms using hammer; operating soldering and welding equipment to join sheet metal parts; or inspecting, assembling, and smoothing seams and joints of burred surfaces. Includes sheet metal duct installers who install prefabricated sheet metal ducts used for heating, air conditioning, or other purposes.
- Overview
- Tasks
- Skills
Median Annual Wage: $45,070
Education: High school diploma or equivalent (60%); Less than high school diploma (18%); Post-secondary certificate (13%)
Projected Growth: Faster than average (15% to 21%)
Related Job Titles: Sheet Metal Mechanic; Sheet Metal Worker; Sheet Metal Apprentice; Field Installer; Sheet Metal Installer; Sheet Metal Layout Mechanic; Sheet Metal Fabricator; HVAC Sheet Metal Installer (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning Sheet Metal Installer); Journeyman Sheet Metal Worker; Sheet Metal Foreman
Source: O*NET OnLine information for Sheet Metal Workers.
- Determine project requirements, such as scope, assembly sequences, or required methods or materials, using blueprints, drawings, or written or verbal instructions.
- Lay out, measure, and mark dimensions and reference lines on material such as roofing panels, using calculators, scribes, dividers, squares, or rulers.
- Fasten seams or joints together with welds, bolts, cement, rivets, solder, caulks, metal drive clips, or bonds to assemble components into products or to repair sheet metal items.
- Trim, file, grind, deburr, buff, or smooth surfaces, seams, or joints of assembled parts, using hand tools or portable power tools.
- Fabricate ducts for high efficiency heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems to maximize efficiency of systems.
- Select gauges or types of sheet metal or nonmetallic material, according to product specifications.
- Finish parts, using hacksaws or hand, rotary, or squaring shears.
- Shape metal material over anvils, blocks, or other forms, using hand tools.
- Fabricate or alter parts at construction sites, using shears, hammers, punches, or drills.
- Transport prefabricated parts to construction sites for assembly and installation.
- Install assemblies, such as flashing, pipes, tubes, heating and air conditioning ducts, furnace casings, rain gutters, or downspouts in supportive frameworks.
- Hire, train, or supervise new employees or apprentices.
- Maintain equipment, making repairs or modifications when necessary.
Source: O*NET OnLine information for Sheet Metal Workers.
- Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Time Management - Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Mathematics - Using mathematics to solve problems.
- Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
- Troubleshooting - Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
- Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Source: O*NET OnLine information for Sheet Metal Workers.
